Analysis Of Inventing Your Argument's Content By Charles Paine

In “Inventing Your Argument’s Content,” Richard Johnson-Sheehan and Charles Paine propose the reader an organized method to invent the content of an argument, showing the major sides fairly. The authors divide this material into smaller and sequential topics: “identifying your topic, identifying point of contention, and finding out what others believe and why.” Johnson-Sheehan and Paine guide the readers step by step through the content without leaving any chances to get lost throughout the reading. While explaining how to identify the topic, the authors show the reader some examples to demonstrate how to narrow the topic from a broad one to a more specific and manageable one. When describing this technique, the authors state the following:
“Pay attention to what has changed about your topic or how recent events have made your topic important today.” After that, Johnson-Sheehan and Paine present the reader the way to generate content by starting to first identify the major points of the opposing side. The authors insist on defending these opposing points in a fair way while including believes, values, and goals of those who defend these ideas. Besides, the writers provide an example of an effective way to divide the brainstormed points into two columns called “my position” and “opposing positions.” Then, the writers show how to research for opposing viewpoints first, and next find the sources of the own points. Johnson-Sheehan and Paine provide some tips on how to find sources that support each side of the argument. “Keep in mind that using a variety of sources will make your argument stronger,” Johnson-Sheehan and Paine say, “look for a mix of online, print, and empirical sources that support all sides of the issue.” Moreover, the authors explain specific details on organizing and drafting the argument. Johnson-Sheehan and Paine highlight that when the argument finally reaches the reader hands, a person with an opposing viewpoint should be able to say: “Yes, that’s a fair presentation of my view.”